In August 1831; in Southampton County; Virginia; Nat Turner led a bloody uprising that took the lives of some fifty-five white people―men; women; and children―shocking the South. Nearly as many black people; all told; perished in the rebellion and its aftermath. Nat Turner and the Rising in Southampton County presents important new evidence about the violence and the community in which it took place; shedding light on the insurgents and victims and reinterpreting the most important account of that event; The Confessions of Nat Turner. Drawing upon largely untapped sources; David F. Allmendinger Jr. reconstructs the lives of key individuals who were drawn into the uprising and shows how the history of certain white families and their slaves―reaching back into the eighteenth century―shaped the course of the rebellion. Never before has anyone so patiently examined the extensive private and public sources relating to Southampton as does Allmendinger in this remarkable work. He argues that the plan of rebellion originated in the mind of a single individual; Nat Turner; who concluded between 1822 and 1826 that his own masters intended to continue holding slaves into the next generation. Turner specifically chose to attack households to which he and his followers had connections. The book also offers a close analysis of his Confessions and the influence of Thomas R. Gray; who wrote down the original text in November 1831. The author draws new conclusions about Turner and Gray; their different motives; the authenticity of the confession; and the introduction of terror as a tactic; both in the rebellion and in its most revealing document.Students of slavery; the Old South; and African American history will find in Nat Turner and the Rising in Southampton County an outstanding example of painstaking research and imaginative family and community history.
#13790 in Books McCullough David 2012-05-15 2012-05-15Original language:EnglishPDF # 1 9.00 x 1.40 x 6.00l; 1.87 #File Name: 1416571779576 pagesthe remarkable story of the generations of American artists; writers; and doctors who traveled to Paris; the intellectual; scientific; and artistic capital of the western world during the late 1800s
Review
1026 of 1056 people found the following review helpful. Masterful Writer McCullough Makes 19th Century Paris Come ALIVE - FIVE STARS !!!!!By Richard of ConnecticutEvery time David McCullough puts his fingers to the typewriter that he uses to write with; he seems to transform our understanding of the topic he is studying. Whether it was President Harry Truman or for me Mornings on Horseback; I have walked away from his books with an enlightened feel for the topic that I have only been able to achieve with very few authors. James Michener is one who comes to mind immediately.With this book; The Greater Journey; the author has now thoroughly engaged the reader with a topic seldom written about but very deserving of study. It is only natural that we as Americans feel we live in a self centered world; after all we have 2 vast oceans that have protected our shores from invasion for several centuries; and probably will for several more. It simply does not occur to us that since our beginnings; many Americans have chosen to spend considerable time abroad; and in some cases decades of their lives.During the 1800's and specifically from 1830 until 1900; there was a wave of intellectual migration that headed not west to America; but east to Paris; France from America. Keep in mind that we now sit in a country that is preeminent in the world; financially; intellectually; and probably culturally as well. Back then; we were just forming as a nation. The Indian wars were still in process; and the Civil War would also take place; which became the second re-creation of the United States. McCullough is totally aware of this comparison and makes wise use of it throughout this 456 page book composed of 14 distinct chapters separated into 3 parts; followed by a wonderful epilogue; and a very useful bibliography. The author understands history; and is always mindful of the relative positions of different nations. During this period we were not yet the top dog that we were to become after World War I. Europe still controlled the world's greatest universities and they were already centuries old.If you are going to read this book in a physical format as opposed to the Kindle digital version; you are in for a treat because the paper chosen is exquisite; and the font selection is superb. If you are an older reader as I am; you will appreciate the time that was taken to design the book appropriately for readers that still relish a physically well made book; and that's what we have here.This is the story of a 70 year period in the history of Paris; and the scores of Americans who occupied it; lived there; and helped participate in the transformation of what is called the city of light. It is also the story of scores of for want of a better word can be called expatriate Americans; although many of them did return to their native United States at different times.McCullough is one of the few authors who truly captures the essence of an environment and then proceeds to envelop it with a reality that absorbs and perhaps even demands our attention as readers. His description of the relationship between James Fennimore Cooper and Samuel F.B. Morse and their joy in living in this magnificent city and the effects it had on their work will remain in the reader's soul for many years after the book is put back on the shelf. When Morse painted his masterpiece; it was done in Paris; and perhaps after reading this book; one realizes it could only have been done in Paris.The city of lights already had vast boulevards; and extraordinary parks decades before the United States designed them. Indeed; New York City's Central Park which would be created later in the century would take much from Paris; and other European cities. The Americans who would go to Paris and spend years there would recall later after returning to the United States the joy of the parks; the energy of the city itself and the sheer unequalled cultural delights that embodied Paris. Visually we can still see much of this in the work of the Impressionist School of painting.I found the author's handling of Mary Cassatt; who was a Philadelphia born daughter of American socialites who went on to be an illustrious painter as a principal part of the Impressionist school; to be particularly well done. Her relationship to Edgar Degas the renowned painter of the ballet and horses; as well as landscaping is thoroughly chronicled in the book. McCullough's ability to weave life into life; with Paris as the focal point constantly holding the book together in such a way that the reader feels compelled to continue to read; not pausing to eat is what in the end keeps the author at the pinnacle of his profession today.It is obvious that this book was a labor of love for the author. It comes shining through with the admiration that McCullough holds for both Oliver Wendell Homes the American medical student in Paris; and Ralph Waldo Emerson; a name we all recognize. He even takes the time to take us through the time that Mark Twain spent in this wonderful city.Not only was Paris transformed by the Americans that occupied it during this century; but Paris itself went through extraordinary changes and development. Kings re-invented the city several times during this century. Vast numbers of poor were displaced and sent to the country. It was invaded during this period as well. Later vast tree lined streets and boulevards would be created that became the envy of Europe. The Louvre would be increased in size enormously in an attempt to make it the most important museum on the entire continent; and France would succeed in this effort.McCullough intertwines the story of Paris; its growth; its impact on the Americans and what the Americans brought back to America as a result; into a book in such an imaginative way that the reader will find himself revisiting this book from time to time. In the end the book is riveting; and this is a phrase I find myself continuing to use every time I pick up a book written by this author.Many lives are captured in this masterpiece. They include George Healy the portrait painter; Nathaniel Hawthorne whose writings still continue to occupy many a college freshman's late nights; and future American Senator Charles Sumner who would have his views on slavery refined while living in Paris. Indeed he became an abolitionist as a result of his Parisian experience.CONCLUSION:Prior to reading The Greater Journey; I believed I had a good understanding of 19th century Paris. Having studied the art of that period; going to the Louvre; and sitting in on lectures dealing with Paris in the 1800's; I looked forward to seeing what this author could add to the story. I did not expect what I got; which was to have him blow away my understanding and replace it with something that came alive and stood on many different legs of understanding; but isn't that what great writing can do. It can simply make things come alive again. You feel as though you are there; and McCullough puts us right there in the thick of the action.Although it is not the whole story; if you have any interest at all in understanding the transformative art period that was the Impressionist movement it is vividly captured here in the lives of Augustus Saint-Gaudens with John Singer Sargent; and Mary Cassatt. David McCullough is already an acclaimed author with two Pulitzers and two national Book Awards; and it looks like with this book; he's got another Pulitzer coming down the pike. Thank you for reading this review.Richard C. Stoyeck208 of 211 people found the following review helpful. McCullough Leaves The 18th Century BehindBy Dai-keag-ityIf you read only one sentence of this review; please know that I think The Greater Journey: Americans in Paris is downright excellent and I'd highly recommend it!As much as I enjoyed the books John Adams and 1776; there is something refreshing in seeing living treasure David McCullough depart from the 1700s; an era he knows vividly; and take a tromp through fresh ground. The Greater Journey was so good; so flowing and fast-paced I read through it a little too quickly; in one day to be exact; and emerged with the feeling that I cheated myself of what more properly should have been a lingering experience. Therefore; I plan to read it again in smaller bits in the near future!That aside; this was among the more interesting history books I've opened in a long while. McCullough's style has never seemed sharper; more conversational; more authoritative or more learned. Where else is the City of Lights examined in such minute detail and from quite this angle? The museums; the streets; the gardens; the parties and salons; and most of all the people; natives and American alike are examined under the microscopic gaze of this finest of living historians. What emerges is an explanation of why Paris was so alluring then as today; and how their time spent there; often brief visits; shaped some of America's leading personages into the figures they went on to be in life. So many famous names leap out from these pages that it proves a who's who of a time and place. The life stories here are as good as biographies anywhere; and there's something to be learned on just about every page as McCullough makes time for many asides and anecdotes about those who passed through the French capital before and during la Belle ÉpoqueTo read this book is to feel a part of Paris 150 years ago; and that is the highest praise I think it is possible to give any historian! Well done; David McCullough; well done!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. I've never been disappointed by a David McCullough bookBy Third Age TravelerI've never been disappointed by a David McCullough book; and I've always come away wiser and more interested in the time period of that book. The Greater Journey was extraordinary. One can really visualize Paris of the 1800s; and McCullough deals with almost the entire century. Readers will recognize many of the names of the artists; writers; and doctors who went to Paris to perfect their crafts. McCullough gives us more; however. His reader becomes embroiled in the political struggles and the birth of the French Republic. Additionally; one of the pleasant revelations is the exposure of the American character. Considering that the first visitors he deals with arrived in the 1830s while our country was still very young. It did not take long for us to develop our American traits; characteristics inherent in an American and recognizable by others. Still; the Americans are individuals. The Americans abroad are never cookie cutter stereotypes. We also see the idea of American Exceptionalism come to life although McCullough never uses a term like that. Once again; McCullough has delighted and enlightened.
